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  3. Television

  4. Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality

TELEVISION

Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality

Series: Great Courses
4.3
(78)
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Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2017
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Taught by noted physicist Dr. Don Lincoln of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, this course follows the search for a theory that explains all physical reality-a theory of everything. Dr. Lincoln covers recent developments in particle physics and cosmology, plus the background needed to appreciate the centuries-long search for this holy grail of science. Only high-school-level math is used.

Related Subjects

  • Educational
  • Science

Episodes

1. Two Prototype Theories Of Everything

30m

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Embark with Dr. Lincoln on a search for a theory of everything - a simple and comprehensive explanation for all physical phenomena in the universe. Confront the incompatibility of our two best prototypes: the standard model of particle physics and the general theory of relativity.

2. The Union Of Electricity And Magnetism

30m

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Learn how two seemingly separate phenomena, electricity and magnetism, were shown by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s to be aspects of a single underlying force, demonstrating how unification works in physics. Then see how Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism make a remarkable prediction.

3. Particles And Waves: The Quantum World

30m

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Follow one of the strangest turns in modern science: the discovery of the paradoxical world of light, which spawned the theory of quantum mechanics. Discover how light and matter behave as both particles and waves, and look at evidence for this curious feature of the quantum world.

4. Einstein Unifies Space, Time, And Light

30m

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Trace the reasoning that led Einstein to his special theory of relativity, proposed in 1905. Address common misconceptions about this startling new view of time and space, which led to ideas such as mass-energy equivalence, the impossibility of faster-than-light travel, and the space-time continuum.

5. Relativistic Quantum Fields And Feynman

30m

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Take a deeper step into the quantum world, observing how the theory of quantum electrodynamics, or QED, unites quantum mechanics with special relativity. Discover that the handy sketches of subatomic behavior called Feynman diagrams (named after physicist Richard Feynman) are really equations in disguise.

6. Neutrinos Violating Parity And The Weak Force

30m

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Study the weak nuclear force, which is responsible for beta decay: the emission of an electron from a nucleus during radioactive decay. Discover that much more is going on, including weird transformations that pose a challenge to a theory of everything.

7. Flavor Changes Via The Weak Force

30m

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Analyze more idiosyncrasies of the weak force, focusing on the three massive particles that mediate its interactions. Discover that the weak force is unique in its ability to change a characteristic called flavor, and learn that at high energies the weak force is exceptionally strong.

8. Electroweak Unification Via The Higgs Field

30m

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A key step in the quest for a theory of everything has been the realization that the electromagnetic and weak forces are aspects of the same force. Follow the saga of electroweak unification, which culminated in the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012.

9. Quarks, Color, And The Strong Force

30m

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Explore the force that helps hold the atomic nucleus together, called the strong force. Chart the discovery of this mysterious mechanism - which only works at extremely short range - and see how it led to concepts such as quarks, gluons, and the color force, which is responsible for the strong interaction.

10. Standard Model Triumphs And Challenges

30m

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Bring together all the concepts studied so far to gauge how close physicists are to a theory of everything. Focus on the shortcomings of the standard model. Then zero in on two burning questions: Why is the mass of the Higgs boson so low, and why does matter predominate over antimatter?

Extended Details

  • SeriesGreat Courses
  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Don LincolnWriter
The Great CoursesProducer
Don LincolnActor